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Halloween Horror Nights 28 Speculation


Mark M.
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1 hour ago, zombieman said:

 

Oh yeah!   This will be a TLDR, so if you don't like my stories, move on...

 

As I mentioned, I live in CA, and didn't even learn about Orlando's HHN until 2003. 

Even though the very first HHN was at Hollywood (believe it or not), Hollywood has had many years with no HHN.  1994-1996,  2001-2005.

In that drought from 2001-2005, I would always scan newspapers around September, hoping that I would find HHN returning.

One day  in 2003 I see this commercial on cable promoting HHN.  Something about a jester with fish hooks in his cheeks, spreading into a forced smile, and a creepy director inviting you.

So I immediately call Universal Hollywood and try to buy a ticket.  They have no idea what I'm talking about.  So I start scanning what passed as the Internet back then and discovered this was HHN in Orlando!  I must have been watching an east-coast feed on satellite TV.  Honestly, I had no idea there even was a Universal in Orlando at that time.  I went to their website and fell instantly in love.  At that time I didn't care if a house was IP or original - I mean, a Jason house?  Sure!  Sounds like fun.  At that time, local haunts often had Freddy or Jason featured (without paying any licensing rights, because back then the studios saw it as free advertising).

 

Sadly, I couldn't go to HHN 2003 because I had newborn twins.

But then came 2004.  I checked the Orlando site in July and saw what looked like boxes of files, and they were all locked, and there was this crazy guy in a straightjacket in a padded room....

Came back a week later, and one of the files was open.  It gave a sneak peek at one of the houses for HHN that year.  Had audio, letters, photos.  So interesting.  Every couple of weeks later I came back and another was revealed, teasing more.  This was AMAZING, as I'd never seen a haunt teased like that.  And more importantly, every house was brand new - was not there in 2003.  I was astounded, because EVERY haunt whether local or theme park introduces only a bit of new stuff every year.  They repeat haunted houses, milking as much as they can without affecting attendance.  100% new stuff every year was unheard of; it's just too expensive.  But here was this place, HHN Orlando, and the houses were totally unique.  I discovered The Vault around that time and was even more amazed to learn that HHN Orlando was known for presenting brand new stuff every year.  This was not a one-off that 2004 was totally new.  Miss a house and it's gone forever.  Simply unheard of in the haunt industry.

 

I made a point of going in 2004 and have not stopped since.  But it wasn't just Orlando's new lineup every year that brought me back.  These were not generic "clown houses" or "slaughterhouses" or "zombie houses".  These has well defined backstories.  The detail was incredible.,  Every character had a purpose.  These guys did houses better than anyone else.   There were many years where all of the houses were original, with maybe one house based on a movie.  Some of the original houses were clearly homages to IP properties (i.e Zombiegeddon was slightly based  on "Fido"), but with their own unique characters and story.

 

Then the IP started up in earnest, and while HHN Orlando still had loads of detail, it was honestly just painting a picture based on freeze frames from a movie.  We knew all the characters.  We knew what kill scenes to expect.  We were disappointed when our favorites were left out. We knew how we would be attacked.  We knew what we would see, hear, smell - the whole experience ahead of time.  To me, that was just not fun.  The designers were handcuffed.  They couldn't add a unique kill.  They couldn't create a character.  They couldn't place a character into a different scene unless it was in the movie.  They couldn't create a twist ending.  There were very few exceptions to this (Freddy vs Jason allowed them to have two different endings, Cabin in the Woods allowed them to invent some characters, etc).

 

So for someone who had never seen the full creativity of an original house, something like Scarecrow: the Reaping would just be a house with scarecrows.  How scary is that, and why would you go out of your way to visit HHN for the first time over something else?  But, hey, they have AHS, and that was one scary TV show!  So people go there for AHS or some other IP, but they leave remembering that scary-ass scarecrow house.  Or that house with the huge paddle boat at the start.  And AHS was maybe OK for them, but would have been better if it included that character they really liked from Coven.  I can't tell you how many people talked about Scarecrow in every line I was in last year.  My point is that IP can pretty much only set you up for disappointment, because unless it has absolutely everything, something will be missing.  An original is a blank canvas.  You have a vague idea of the theme, but have no idea what you will experience.  THAT has nothing but potential.  Biggest complaint about Dark Waters that was heard everywhere?  It was too short.  That "complaint" is a pure compliment if you were designing that house.  People wanted more of it.  As a designer you should be so lucky to hear that complaint.

 

The vets around here love to see A&D doing what they love, and they love doing original content.  It clearly shows.  And the people clearly love it.  I mean, some original characters have become so beloved that they become franchises themselves.  Just look at the Body Collectors, Psychoscareapy, and Screamhouse.  They've been back multiple times as houses and/or scarezones, each time telling another piece of their story.  I still don't understand what's up with Body Collectors, because it's canon created by A&D, yet the makeup is 100% from a group of baddies that appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer for one episode ("Hush").  So, are those characters IP?  Does Universal have to pay someone for the rights to use those masks?  Was the original intent to have a Buffy IP house in 2005, and it morphed into Body Collectors?  I'd love to know the story behind that, if anyone knows....

 

I totally see why new people would come for the IP, and maybe even still want a lot of IP a few years later.  But I have to believe those originals must totally take them by surprise and grow on them.  I think there are only a few people around here who would prefer IP over originals. 

 

And they are weird, so I shun them :D

 

This, this and more THIS!  All of it so very, very true.  

 

We didn't know HHN existed until 2004 when my son happened to catch The Art of the Scare on Travel Channel and started screaming for me to come see.  We started attending in 2005 and have not missed a year since.  Most of my favorite recollections are from original houses.. I mean, there are a few IPs I adored - AWIL and Cabin in the Woods, the first AHS.. but that's not the point.  The point is, the biggest memories are from the originals.  Not only is it a blank canvas, but they are scarier because of the fact that no one knows what to expect.   Also, the detail work they put in is jaw-dropping.  Think Gothic.  Think Dead Waters. Think Winter's Night.  I have such a fondness for all of it.  Scarecrow comes in right at the top of my top 10 of all time.

 

Also, I concur - HHN Hollywood sucks.  We've been three different times, and every single time, I think - why did I bother?  Can't wait to get back to Orlando.  The passion is not there like it is in Orlando.  The attention to every detail, the artistry, the love - all missing from the Hollywood version.  Orlando has nailed it in every aspect, and I don't see that changing... thank god.

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6 minutes ago, hunnylvr said:

 

Also, I concur - HHN Hollywood sucks.  We've been three different times, and every single time, I think - why did I bother?  Can't wait to get back to Orlando.  The passion is not there like it is in Orlando.  The attention to every detail, the artistry, the love - all missing from the Hollywood version.  Orlando has nailed it in every aspect, and I don't see that changing... thank god.

 

Hey, we'll trade you Murdy for Aiello.  And we'll throw in our Jaws, because you are missing one.  Whaddya say?

And all the black plywood you will ever need!  We'll throw that in, too.

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42 minutes ago, zombieman said:

 

Hey, we'll trade you Murdy for Aiello.  And we'll throw in our Jaws, because you are missing one.  Whaddya say?

And all the black plywood you will ever need!  We'll throw that in, too.

 

You can have Aiello when you pry him from my cold, dead hands

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16 hours ago, rj macready said:

 

So for you HHN vets the original houses gets you more excited?  will be attending my first HHN in October and im most excited for the IP houses, but i have nothing to base it on outside of familiarity.

The majority of the time I look forward to the originals, to me they are more immersive, suspenseful and give more room for creativity. You kind of expect what to see in an IP , originals are a complete surprise. Over the years there have been IP's I have been super excited for (Silent Hill, Shining, Chucky, Halloween) but the originals always blow my mind every year.

Edited by killswitch22
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4 hours ago, hunnylvr said:

 

You can have Aiello when you pry him from my cold, dead hands

That can be arranged...

3 hours ago, killswitch22 said:

The majority of the time I look forward to the originals, to me they are more immersive, suspenseful and give more room for creativity. You kind of expect what to see in an IP , originals are a complete surprise. Over the years there have been IP's I have been super excited for (Silent Hill, Shining, Chucky, Halloween) but the originals always blow my mind every year.

 

Yup.  And I'd like to add one important thing - even when we have a mash-up of two originals, or the next chapter of an original, we STILL don't know what to expect.  I know that in the next Body Collectors house I will see the Gentlemen again.  But where is the setting?  What will they be doing this time?  That's the fun.  That's the scare.

 

Yet we know that  Every.Single.Time we are given a TCM house, we will see a dining room scene with grandpa holding a hammer.  And we know exactly what will come charging out of a wall...  We can picture it in our minds, down to the human skin lampshade.  We know there will be a water effect in that room and when it will happen.  We have literally been there and done that.  And yet for some reason SOME people here will pee themselves when they hear the next TCM announcement.  Because, hey, they have a reboot coming or some nonsense. 

 

So Woo Hoo!  Blumhouse is doing yet another Halloween reboot.  Gee, I have NO IDEA what to expect in that house.  (Except that with Danny McBride on-board, I somehow expect to see Michael Myers getting stoned...)

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 Speaking of Blumhouse, is this year supposed to be a mash up or just one property? I've heard rumors that it could be one or the other. I just watched the Belko Experiment this evening, thoroughly enjoyed it would be a fun, campy, gory house, even if just part of a mash up. Unfortunately I don't think we'd ever see it come to life.

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4 minutes ago, killswitch22 said:

 Speaking of Blumhouse, is this year supposed to be a mash up or just one property? I've heard rumors that it could be one or the other. I just watched the Belko Experiment this evening, thoroughly enjoyed it would be a fun, campy, gory house, even if just part of a mash up. Unfortunately I don't think we'd ever see it come to life.

i would love to see them do the "line up" scene from the movie if they do include belko experiment in the house.

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So for people like me, who were born late 80’s or after and don’t remember, what great songs can we expect from Vamp ‘85? I love 80’s music but apart from the stereotypical classics what other songs do you think we can expect? For what it’s worth I did ask on Twitter for Orlando to do a Spotify playlist. They did the same for the whole event last year so hopefully will do that this year. I’m seriously considering having a night doing stay and scream, as many houses as I can, then people watching in Vamp ‘85 until the queues die down and hitting houses again. 

 

I should add I am a huge music fan and know most iconic or well played 80’s songs. Looking for some obscure gems which probably don’t feature on the standard Spotify 80’s playlists. Love discovering new music

Edited by Drummanmatt
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Welp.

 

Eating some humble pie.

 

One of the houses I was adamant about not coming, is indeed coming. It's been confirmed by multiple sources and they're also eating some slices. It's a fluid situation, this event.

Edited by Ringwraith
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6 hours ago, Drummanmatt said:

So for people like me, who were born late 80’s or after and don’t remember, what great songs can we expect from Vamp ‘85? I love 80’s music but apart from the stereotypical classics what other songs do you think we can expect? For what it’s worth I did ask on Twitter for Orlando to do a Spotify playlist. They did the same for the whole event last year so hopefully will do that this year. I’m seriously considering having a night doing stay and scream, as many houses as I can, then people watching in Vamp ‘85 until the queues die down and hitting houses again. 

 

I should add I am a huge music fan and know most iconic or well played 80’s songs. Looking for some obscure gems which probably don’t feature on the standard Spotify 80’s playlists. Love discovering new music

 

If only there were a Vamp 85 playlist thread.......

 

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25 minutes ago, Ueeediot said:

didn't mean it as a jab or anything more than funny, but you will get a good sense of some 80s music in that thread.  

No worries I didn’t think you were having a go at all, just pointing me in the right direction :D. There’s some decent playlists there been listening all morning getting in the mood

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Ok after a weekend of listening to 80’s music I’m all in favour for some kind of karaoke stage. That would be soooo much fun! I know it wouldn’t happen but it would be great fun, especially if they mixed real audience members with actors who got bit halfway through performing :lol:

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On 6/15/2018 at 11:14 PM, Jerkytime said:

lol... gotta be Halloween.

 

Fingers crossed for IT. 

 

Kinda hoping Halloween (2018) isn’t coming this year. It doesn’t even come to theaters until mid-October so anyone going only in September (like me) won’t get to fully appreciate the details. It could end up like Dracula Untold. :blink: 

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3 hours ago, marc said:

 

Fingers crossed for IT. 

 

Kinda hoping Halloween (2018) isn’t coming this year. It doesn’t even come to theaters until mid-October so anyone going only in September (like me) won’t get to fully appreciate the details. It could end up like Dracula Untold. :blink: 

Halloween 2018 is not coming.

On 6/16/2018 at 3:46 AM, Drummanmatt said:

Oops. Still, be good to get people’s thoughts from here too

 

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On 6/15/2018 at 4:18 PM, Drummanmatt said:

So for people like me, who were born late 80’s or after and don’t remember, what great songs can we expect from Vamp ‘85? I love 80’s music but apart from the stereotypical classics what other songs do you think we can expect? For what it’s worth I did ask on Twitter for Orlando to do a Spotify playlist. They did the same for the whole event last year so hopefully will do that this year. I’m seriously considering having a night doing stay and scream, as many houses as I can, then people watching in Vamp ‘85 until the queues die down and hitting houses again. 

 

I should add I am a huge music fan and know most iconic or well played 80’s songs. Looking for some obscure gems which probably don’t feature on the standard Spotify 80’s playlists. Love discovering new music

you know... that something Uni doesn't get enough credit for, the music. They must have some real music nerds in the ranks bc they knock it out of the park with their music selection. And of course I'm listening to it year round!!

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